Col Joye

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Col Joye
Background information
Birth name	Colin Jacobsen
Born	April 13, 1939
Origin	Australian
Genre(s)	Pop, Rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Songwriter, Singer, Businessman
Instrument(s)	Guitar, Vocals
Years active	1959-present
Associated acts	Colin Joye and the Joy Boys
Former members
Kevin Jacobsen, Keith Jacobsen

Col Joye, born Colin Jacobsen, April 13, 1939 in Sydney, is an Australian popular entertainer and entrepreneur. He was the first Australian rock and roll singer to have number one records in Australia and the first Australian to reach the American Billboard charts, with Bye Bye Baby, Stagger Lee, and Oh Yeah Uh Huh, in 1959.

With his brothers Kevin and Keith, recording as "Col Joye and the Joyboys", and as a solo artist, Col Joye enjoyed a series of number one hits in the early 1960s in Australia. He was an original member of Brian Henderson's "Bandstand" television program and was on the air there for fourteen years. After the Beatles took music by storm, Col Joye's popularity leveled off, and it was not until 1973 that he had another hit record, Heaven Is My Woman's Love.

In the interim, Col and Kevin built an influential entertainment management, publishing, and recording business, working with artists including the Bee Gees and their brother Andy Gibb; the business, Jacobsen Entertainment, continues today, with Col Joye and Kevin Jacobsen as principal members. ^[1]

Col Joye won several music awards including two ARIA Music Awards and he earned numerous gold and platinum records; he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1988, the first year of such inductions. In 1983 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his entertainment and philanthropic work.

In 1990, Joye sustained serious head injuries when he fell while pruning a tree on his property. Comatose and initially given a poor prognosis, he eventually made a full recovery, but elected to retire from performing. A 2001 television documentary series Long Way To The Top recalled some of Australian music's most notable acts, and brought Joye recognition. The popularity of the television series led to a national tour in 2002 with Joye, and more than twenty other acts participating.

He is featured on an Australian stamp honoring the greatest Australian music, ^[2] and continues to perform and record pop and country music today.